LIBRARY 

OF  THR 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


1 


GIFT  OF 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY   | 


HOW    TO    BUILD 
A    HOTEL 

FRANCIS    C,    MOORE 

I»RESI1>ENT   OF 
THE  CONTINENTAL,  INSURANCE  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK 


HOW  TO  BUILD  A  HOTEL. 


In  view  of  the  number  of  fires  occurring,  almost  daily,  throughout 
the  United  States,  in  buildings  occupied  as  hotels,  resulting,  in 
only  too  many  instances,  in  the  loss  of  life,  it  would  seem  clearly 
to  be  the  duty  of  everyone  possessed  of  knowledge,  no  matter  how 
acquired,  as  to  ways  and  means  of  preventing  fires,  to  give  the 
benefit  of  that  knowledge  to  the  public,  and  particularly  to  those 
about  to  erect  hotels.  With  this  conception  of  duty,  I  have  pre- 
pared the  following  pages.  They  are  the  result  of  careful  study  of 
the  fires  occurring  in  hotels  throughout  the  past  twenty  years — not 
only  those  insured  by  my  own  company  (themselves  not  few  in 
number),  but  those  which  have  occurred,  whether  insured  or  not, 
from  Maine  to  California. 

Not  content  with  my  own  theories  and  investigations,  I  have 
taken  the  precaution  to  send  the  proof  of  these  pages  to  various 
experts  of  niy  acquaintance — underwriters,  adjusters,  architects, 
builders,  and  to  hotel  proprietors  themselves,  with  request  for  a 
careful  revision  and  suggestions.  Having  taken  such  pains  to 
secure  a  consensus  of  judgment,  I  present  the  result  to  those  who 
may  be  interested,  without  diffidence,  because  I  can  claim  they  are 
not  my  own  ideas  merely  ;  believing  there  are  few  omissions,  and 
that  those  who  contemplate  erecting  structures  which  are  to  shelter, 
during  the  night  hours  of  the  greatest  danger,  their  fellow-beings, 
who  will  be  helpless  because  unconscious,  will  do  well  to  study  and 
follow  the  advice  presented.  Certain  considerations  are  of  such 
vital  importance  that  it  would  be  almost  sufficient  to  name  them 
merely,  without  argument  or  explanation,  were  it  not  that  much 
of  the  detail  necessary  to  carry  them  out  would  be  misunderstood 
by  those  owners  who  have  not  practical  knowledge  of  construction. 

F.  C.  M. 


112689 


How  TO  BUILD  A  HOTEL 


Construction.  Fire-resisting  construction*  for 
hotels  involves  considerations  so  simple  that  they 
should  occur  naturally  to  any  thoughtful  person. 
The  most  important  of  these  is  the  prevention  of 
air  drafts  which  would  draw  flame  from  one  story 
to  another.  Almost  the  earliest  practical  lesson 
learned  in  life  in  connection  with  lire  is  that  com- 
bustion is  accelerated  by  a  good  draft,  and  that 
lire,  for  want  of  a  draft,  will  burn  slowly,  if,  indeed, 
it  does  not  expire,  as  it  certainly  will  if  deprived 
of  oxygen,  even  to  the  extent  that  a  closed  room  of 
small  dimensions  has  been  known  to  suffocate  an 
ordinary  flame.  But  the  child,  who  learns  to  open 
the  drafts  of  a  stove,  both  in  the  stovepipe  and  at 
the  bottom  of  the  stove,  seems  to  forget,  in  maturer 
years,  the  danger  of  having  such  drafts  in  the  build- 
ing in  which  he  lives  and  sleeps  as  are  afforded  by 
staircase  shafts,  elevator  shafts  and  the  hollow 
spaces  in  the  partitions  and  outer  or  enclosing 
walls.  The  dimensions  of  each  upright  flue  be- 
tween the  studs  of  a  partition  are  often  greater 
than  the  square  inches  of  throat  capacity  of  the 
chimney  of  the  house,  and  flame  getting  access  to 
such  air  passages  in  improperly  constructed  build- 
ings will  go  as  rapidly  from  cellar  to  roof  as  from 
a  fireplace  through  the  chimney  to  find  an  exit. 


*  To  those  wishing  to  build  fireproof  hotels,  a  pamphlet  on 
"  How  to  Build  Fireproof  "  will  be  sent  upon  application. 


6  HOW    TO   BUILD    A    HOTEL. 

I,  therefore,  dwell  first  upon  the  importance  of 
cutting  off  all  communications  from  story  to  story, 
of  whatever  character,  as  the  most  important  step 
to  be  taken  to  insure  slow  combustion,  rapid  extinc- 
tion arid  the  confinement  of  a  fire  to  its  floor  of 
origin.  The  maximum  of  safety  and  the  minimum 
of  danger  would  be  secured  if  the  only  passage- 
ways, staircases,  elevators,  etc.,  for  getting  from 
one  story  to  another  were  entirely  outside  of  build- 
ing. This,  of  course,  is  not  practicable,  but  it  is 
entirely  practicable  and  ought  to  be  a  provision  of 
every  building  law  that  all  communications  of  this 
character  from  story  to  story  should  be  in  a  sepa- 
rate enclosure  of  brick  walls,  with  fireproof  doors 
at  the  openings,  and  in  buildings  of  larger  ground 
floor  area  than  five  thousand  square  feet  there 
should  be  at  least  two  such  systems  of  staircases, 
one  at  each  end  of  the  structure.  In  these  separate 
enclosures,  or  brick  towers,  the  staircases,  elevators, 
dumb-waiters,  risers  for  electric  wires,  gas  pipes, 
water  pipes,  &c.,  &c.,  should  be  carried,  and  espe- 
cially the  stand-pipes  for  supplying  water  for  the 
extinction  of  fires,  for  the  reason  that  the  latter 
could  be  used  to  the  last  moment  by  firemen  or  by 
the  employes  of  the  hotel,  provided  the  outlets  for 
hose  are  near  the  doorways. 

The  inmates  could  escape  by  means  of  stairways 
so  enclosed,  without  danger  of  being  burned.  Stone 
stairs  or  iron  stairs  with  treads  are  dangerous,  as 
they  crumble  if  exposed  to  fire. 

These  enclosed  hallways  should  be  lighted 
throughout  by  oil  lamps  on  bracket  shelves,  at  a 
sufficient  height  from  the  floor  to  prevent  their 
being  knocked  off  by  hurrying  persons,  so  that  in 
case  the  gas  or  electric-light  should  be  cut  off  by  a 
fire,  as  electric-light  and  gas  systems  nearly  always 
are,  these  avenues  of  escape  would  not  be  darkened. 


7  KLEVATOR   SHAFTS. 

An  oil  lamp,  with  a  red  glass,  should  be  displayed 
where  it  can  be  seen  throughout  the  entire  length 
of  hallways  to  indicate  the  doors  to  the  staircases. 
In  fact,  all  hallways  of  a  hotel  should  be  lighted 
with  oil  lamps  or  caudles  by  night,  the  lamps  being 
so  arranged  as  to  illuminate  plainly  printed  direc- 
tions to  the  staircases. 

I  regard  these  suggestions  as  among  the  most 
important  for  the  safety  of  life,  and  I  am  confident 
they  would  be  so  pronounced  by  every  practical  tire 
department  chief  throughout  the  country. 

Elevator  Shafts.  Should  be  of  fireproof  material. 
Brick  is  best  for  enclosing  walls.  Under  no  circum- 
stances should  they  be  sheathed  with  wood,  or  with 
plaster  on  wooden  lathing  ;  and  the  slide  guides 
from  top  to  bottom  of  the  shaft  for  the  elevator  car 
should  be  of  iron  ;  they  are  usually  of  wood,  which 
becomes  soaked  with  oil  and  the  medium  of  rapid 
ascent  of  fire.  It  is  quite  common  in  hotels  to 
sheath  these  shafts  with  yellow  pine,  of  the  most 
ignitible  character.  Such  was  the  lining  of  the 
shaft  in  the  Park  Avenue  Hotel,  in  which  disastrous 
fire  twenty  lives  were  lost  in  February,  1902.  This 
building  was  in  many  respects  one  of  the  best  fire- 
proof hotels  in  the  country,  having  brick  segmental 
arches  in  the  floors.  It  had,  however,  strangely 
enough,  elevator  shafts  sheathed  with  yellow  pine  ; 
one  of  the  upper  staircases  was  of  wood,  and,  some 
of  the  partitions  of  rooms  were  of  ordinary  wood 
lath  and  plaster.  If  the  inmates  had  remained  in 
their  rooms,  however,  they  would  probably  have 
saved  their  lives.  They  sought  exit  through  the 
hallways  and  were  suffocated  with  srnoke  while 
trying  to  escape. 

It  may  be  mentioned  here  that  few  people  are 
burned  to  death  in  fires ;  fortunately  the  gases  and 


8  HOW    TO   BUILD    A    HOTEL. 

smoke  of  combustion  suffocate  them  before  they 
experience  the  torture  of  being  burned.  If  the 
unfortunates  in  this  instance  had  shut  their  doors 
and  windows,  the  fire  department  would  have  ex- 
tinguished the  fire  and  rescued  them. 

The  great  loss  of  life  in  the  Windsor  Hotel  fire, 
of  March  17,  1899,  was  due  to  the  fact  that  the  fire 
spread  rapidly  from  top  to  bottom  of  the  hotel 
because  the  windows  on  every  floor  of  the  building 
were  open,  to  enable  the  inmates  to  see  a  procession 
which  was  passing  at  the  time,  presenting  the  con- 
dition of  a  stove  with  the  lower  and  upper  dampers 
open. 

Ventilating  Shafts.  It  is,  of  course,  necessary  in 
hotels  to  have  ventilating  shafts  from  top  to  bot- 
tom, especially  on  lines  of  bath-rooms  and  toilet- 
rooms.  These  shafts  should  always  be  thoroughly 
fireproof,  without  any  woodwork  whatever  in  them. 
They  are  too  frequently,  like  elevator  shafts, 
sheathed  with  wood  or  finished  in  wooden  lath 
and  plaster.  The  windows  opening  on  these  shafts 
from  bath-rooms  should  be  of  metal  sash,  with  wire 
glass,  and  care  should  be  taken  that  nothing  to 
start  a  fire  is  allowed  near  the  bottom  of  the  shaft. 
If  the  owner  is  not  willing  to  go  to  the  expense  of 
brick  or  fireproof  terra  cotta  block  construction  for 
these  shafts  (and  he  ought  not  to  assume  the  care 
of  his  fellow-beings  by  night  and  day  unless  he  is), 
metallic  lathing,  of  the  wire  netting  kind,  should 
be  used,  as  it  is  a  valuable  fire  retardarit.  Plaster 
on  wire  lathing  will  prove  more  economical  than 
wooden  lathing,  which  latter  results  in  cracked 
ceilings,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  wooden  laths 
are  often  nailed  too  close  together  and  sufficient 
plaster  is  not  pushed  through  the  interstices  to 
"clinch"  or  "key"  and  make  a  good  job.  There 


9  OUTER    ENCLOSING   WALLS. 

caii  be  little  cheating  by  the  plasterer  if  wire  lath- 
ing is  used ;  sufficient  plaster  must  be  pushed 
through  to  get  a  good  "clinch"  on  the  back  of  t;he 
wire  netting.  The  result  is  a  job  which  lasts  longer 
and  resists  tire  arid  water  sometimes  for  hours. 
While  the  initial  cost  of  metallic  lathing  is  greater 
than  for  wooden  lathing,  it  will  prove  the  more 
economical  in  the  end,  if  the  building  should  last 
for  say  ten  years. 

Outer  Enclosing  Walls.  The  best  masonry  for 
lire  resisting  purposes  is  good,  hard  burned  brick. 
Stone  is  not  so  safe,  especially  limestone,  like 
granite,  marble,  etc.  It  is  certain  to  disintegrate 
under  the  combined  effect  of  tire  and  water,  and 
should  riot  be  employed  even  for  templates  on 
which  to  rest  the  ends  of  beams  in  the  brick  wall ; 
cast-iron  templates  should  be  used  for  this  purpose. 

Fire-Resisting  Floors.  The  best  tioor  is  one  of 
iron  beams,  spaced  not  over  tive  feet  on  centres, 
with  brick  segmental  arches.  Next  to  brick  for 
such  segmental  arches  in  reliability  is  burnt  clay 
or  terra  cotta. 

It  is  my  opinion — but  there  are  many  who  enter- 
tain a  different  one — that  the  old-fashioned  brick 
arch  is  the  most  reliable  for  resisting  tire  ;  that 
next  to  this  in  safety  stands  the  porous,  terra  cotta, 
segmental  arch,  with  end  construction,  i.  <?.,  the 
blocks  or  separate  pieces  placed  end  to  end  between 
the  beams,  instead  of  side  by  side  in  what  is  known 
as  "side  construction."  This  is  said  to  be  stronger 
than  side  construction.  It  is  claimed  by  many 
experts  that  porous  terra  cotta  is  a  better  non- con- 
ductor than  brick  on  account  of  its  interior  air 
spaces.  The  arch  should  not  be  less  than  four 
inches  thick,  having  a  rise  of  at  least  1J  inches  to 
each  foot  of  span  between  the  beams,  and  there 


10  HOW   TO   BUILD   A   HOTEL. 

should  be  a  covering  of  good  Portland  cement  and 
gravel  concrete  over  this  to  ensure  a  waterproof 
floor.  Cinder  filling  will  burn — crushed  slag  from 
blast  furnaces  is  better,  but  the  Portland  cement 
concrete  should  not  be  omitted  for  waterproofing 
purposes. 

There  are  many  patent  floor  arches  for  filling 
between  I-beams  which  have  great  merit  when 
properly  put  in,  but  I  doubt  if  any  of  them  are 
equal  to  the  two  I  have  named,  and  it  should 
always  be  borne  in  mind  that  when  employed  they 
should  be  constructed  with  the  same  care  with 
which  they  are  prepared  for  tests.  This  is  almost 
equally  true,  however,  as  regards  brick  arid  burnt 
clay  arches.  There  is  less  likelihood  of  poor  instal- 
lation work,  however,  with  brick  arches  or  seg- 
mental  arches  of  porous  terra  cotta  or  burnt  clay. 
Arches  should  be  laid  in  cement  not  lime  mortar. 
They  should  not  be  laid  in  freezing  weather,  and 
where  concrete  is  used  the  broken  stone  or  gravel 
should  be  carefully  washed  and  the  cement  should 
be  of  the  best  quality.  Some  of  the  better  qualities 
of  patent  floors  are  the  following :  Fawcett,  Guas- 
tavino,  Rapp  (which  should  be  segmental  shape — 
not  flat),  Columbian,  Metropolitan,  Roebling,  Man- 
hattan or  Expanded  Metal,  etc.  These  floors  are 
fully  illustrated  in  most  of  the  text  books  on 
construction.  In  all  of  them,  I  repeat,  the  spacing 
of  beams  should  not  exceed  five  feet. 

If  the  building  is  to  be  throughout  of  fireproof 
construction,  the  roof  to  conform  should  be  con- 
structed of  brick  or  tile,  the  roof  beams  being  of 
iron  and,  where  tanks  are  supported,  of  sufficient 
strength  to  carry  many  times  the  actual  probable 
weight  of  the  water  and  the  containing  tank  itself. 

Slate  roofs,  on  very  high  buildings,  especially  on 
street  fronts,  are  objectionable  as,  in  case  of  fire, 


11  NON-FIREPROOF    CONSTRUCTION. 

the  slates  crack  and,  falling  to  the  street,  injure  the 
firemen.  A  flat  roof  of  brick-tile  is  better  than  any 
other. 

All  water  on  roofs  from  rain  or  melting  snow 
should  be  drained  from  the  front  or  sides  to  lead- 
ers, so  as  to  avoid  drip  points,  from  which  icicles 
could  form.  Too  little  attention  is  paid  to  the 
great  danger  of  injury  to  pedestrians  from  falling 
snow  or  icicles  on  high  buildings.  This  may  not  be 
a  suggestion  strictly  germane  to  this  article,  but  it 
is  a  matter  so  often  overlooked  as  to  warrant  its 
being  referred  to  in  a  treatise  intended  to  deal 
more  or  less  thoroughly  with  the  subject  of  fire- 
proof buildings. 

If  the  hoiel  is  not  of  fireproof  construction,  a 
metal  roof  of  tin  is  better  than  slate  or  composi- 
tion. Slates  are  apt  to  crack  with  the  heat  and 
open  up  drafts.  Moreover,  they  involve  a,  pitched 
roof,  which  implies  an  empty  roof  space — always 
objectionable  from  a  fire  viewpoint.  If  the  build- 
ing, however,  is  fireproof  the  roof  should  be  in 
keeping  with  the  best  methods  of  fireproof  con- 
struction, and  any  cheaper  construction  will  be 
shortsighted  and  inconsistent. 

Non- Fireproof  Construction.  An  ordinary  frame 
building  may  be  made  to  burn  slowly  by  attention 
to  suggestions  already  made  as  to  cutting  off  drafts. 
At  every  story  the  space  between  the  floor  'beams 
and  the  upright  studs,  both  in  partitions  and  in 
the  enclosing  walls,  should  be  filled  with  bricks 
and  mortar  or  gravel  and  lime  mortar,  care  being 
taken  n6t  to  enclose  wooden  beams  in  cement  or 
plaster  of  Paris,  as  it  will  cause  dry  rot.  Lime 
mortar  protects  wood.  The  filling  in  of  partitions 
and  side  walls  should  be  to  the  top  of  the  "  mop 
boards"  or  base  boards.  A  fire  getting  into  these 


12  HOW  TO   BUILD    A    HOTEL. 

upright  wooden  flues,  filled  in  this  way,  would  not 
go  rapidly  from  story  to  story.  In  most  frame 
hotels  there  are  thousands  of  well  developed  flues 
of  this  character.  One  of  the  finest  wooden  hotels 
in  the  South,  built  by  an  owner  who  had  no  need  to 
economize  and  probably  did  not  desire  to,  was  con- 
structed without  fire  stops,  the  elevator  shafts  being 
lined  throughout  with  yellow  pine.  As  the  hotel  is 
seven  stories  high  in  places  arid  thousands  of  feet 
long,  the  danger  of  spread  of  fire  may  be  imagined. 
At  each  story,  therefore,  where  stud  walls  or  parti- 
tions rest  on  walls  or  other  partitions,  the  spaces 
between  the  floor- joists  immediately  under  such 
walls  and  partitions,  and  between  the  sides  of  such 
joists,  and  to  a  line  six  inches  above  the  top  of  such 
joists,  should  be  filled  solid  or  flush,  with  face  of 
plastering  on  both  sides,  with  bricks  laid  in  mortar; 
and  if  such  studs  or  partitions  rest  on  solid  timber 
or  joists  for  the  whole  length  thereof,  such  fillings 
should  be  placed  from  the  top  of  such  joists  to  the 
same  height  as  above  specified,  or  a  strip  of  tin  or 
galvanized  iron  at  least  one  inch  wider  than  the 
width  of  said  studding,  and  continuing  under  the 
footing  of  such  walls  or  partitions,  may  be  substi- 
tuted for  the  filling  above  described  where  there  is 
no  partition  or  wall  under. 


FIRE  STOPS  IN  FLOORS  AND  PARTITIONS. 

The  building  law  of  New  York  requires  'that  in 
all  furred  walls  the  course  of  brick  above  the  under 


13  NON-FIREPROOF  CONSTRUCTION. 

side  and  below  the  top  of  each  tier  of  floor-beams 
shall  project  the  thickness  of  the  furring,  more 
effectually  to  prevent  the  spread  of  fire. 

A  wooden  building  constructed  in  this  mariner, 
with  all  air-passages  cut  off,  with  metallic  lathing 
for  the  ceilings,  and  salamander,  asbestos,  or  other 
fireproof  material  between  the  floors,  will  resist  a 
fire  much  longer  than  ordinary  brick  or  stone  build- 
ings in  which  such  simple  and  inexpensive  but  most 
important  precautions  are  omitted.  It  will  not  cost 
much  to  construct  a  building  in  such  a  way  that 
ample  time  would  be  secured  for  the  escape  of  the 
inmates  even  if  a  fire  should  start  in  the  night,  and 
it  is  almost  criminal  to  erect  buildings  for  the 
habitation  of  human  beings  on  modern  fire  trap 
principles. 

Take,  for  instance,  the  simple  precaution  of 
throwing  a  few  shovelfuls  of  ordinary  lime  mortar 
into  the  hollow  spaces  at  the  feet  of  ordinary  "  fore- 
and-aft"  partitions,  such  as  those  which  divide 
rooms  from  hallwa37s  ;  it  would  seem  that  a  con- 
scientious builder,  even  if  he  were  not  paid  under 
his  contract  for  taking  this  precaution,  would  not 
neglect  it.  If  at  every  floor  he  should  let  his  work- 
men cast  in  the  broken  bits  of  brick,  loose  mortar, 
and  incombustible  material  which  he  afterward 
carts  away  at  an  expense,  he  would  make  a  parti- 
tion almost  as  fireproof  as  if  filled  in  with  brick 
from  top  to  bottom,  it  being  borne  in  mind  that  the 
danger  of  an  ordinary  partition  lies,  not  in  the  fact 
that  it  is  not  filled  in  solidly  with  brick,  or  that  it 
has  an  air-space,  but  that  this  air  space  extends 
from  one  story  to  another,  creating  a  flue  for  a 
draft.  This  matter  is  more  fully  explained  by  the 
accompanying  illustration. 

Elevator  shafts,  as  already  stated,  should  be  of 
brick,  and  if  glazed  doors  are  used  they  should  be 


14  HOW   TO   BUILD   A   HOTEL. 

glazed  with  wire  glass ;  and  if  iron  grillwork  is 
used  it  should  have  wire  glass  behind  it,  cutting 
off  drafts  from  the  halls.  In  the  New  Willard 
Hotel,  in  Washington,  the  doors  to  the  elevators 
are  glazed  from  the  top  of  the  door  to  within  about 
three  feet  of  the  floor,  which  enables  the  operator 
to  see  those  waiting  at  landings. 

Lamp  closets,  oil  closets  or  waste  closets  should 
not  be  near  the  elevators,  for  obvious  reasons,  as  a 
fire  starting  in  them  would  rapidly  spread  through 
the  shaft.  It  is  not  unusual  to  find  shavings,  rub- 
bish, oily  waste  and  other  dangerous  material  at 
the  bottom  of  elevator  shafts.  They  should  be 
watched  carefully  arid  kept  clean. 

A  cheaper  enclosing  wall  for  elevators  than  one  of 
brick  is  one  made  of  3-inch  terra  cotta  or  burnt  clay 
blocks,  framed  with  "  tee "  and  angle  iron,  and 
plastered  both  sides  so  as  to  finish  four  inches  thick. 

Floors.  Wooden  floors  should  be  double.  'Sala- 
mander" (a  tire  retardent  constructed  of  heavy 
strawboard  covered  with  fireproof  cement,  both 
sides,  so  that  it  is  like  a  piece  of  slate)  or  sheet 
tin  or  sheet  iron  between  floors  would  tend  to 
retard  the  passage  of  fire.  The  floors  should  be 
deafened  in  any  case,  for  the  comfort  of  inmates, 
and  to  prevent  the  annoyance  of  noises  passing 
from  one  story  to  another.  This  should  be  done 
by  deafening  boards  on  cleats  nailed  to  the  beams, 
with  lime  mortar  or  concrete  laid  on  the  deafening 
boards,  and  an  air  space  between  the  top  of  the 
deafening  and  the  floor  boards  above.  This  would 
give  two  air  spaces  between  the  plastered  ceiling 
of  the  room  below  and  the  floors  of  the  room  above. 

In  frame  hotels  the  staircases  should  be  protected 
in  brick  towers,  even  if  no  other  brick  is  used  in 
the  building,  and  the  ventilating  shafts  should  be 


15  CHIMNEYS,    FLUES,    ETC. 

of  burnt  clay  blocks  on  "tee"  or  angle  iron,  if  the 
owner  cannot  afford  to  construct  of  brick.  There 
should  be  nothing  whatever  of  a  combustible  char- 
acter in  any  shaft  going  from  floor  to  floor,  as 
already  stated. 

Plaster  Corners.  These  should  be  avoided  if  pos- 
sible, but  where  unavoidable  should  be  protected 
by  wooden  corner  guards,  to  keep  the  plaster  from 
being  knocked  off  by  moving  trunks  or  furniture. 

Chimneys,  Flues,  Etc.  These  should  never  be 
surrounded  with  Jess  than  eight  inches  of  good 
brickwork,  laid  in  cement.  A  further  precaution 
would  be  to  line  them  with  tubing  of  cast  iron  or 
burnt  clay;  but  a  4- inch  or  "half  brick"  flue  lined 
with  burnt  clay  is  not  so  good  as  an  8  inch  brick 
flue,  for  the  reason  that  it  is  seldom  faithfully  con- 
structed. The  interior  capacity  of  a  flue,  especially 
for  a  fireplace  burning  wood,  which  is  not  always 
dry,  should  be  not  less  than  eight  inches  by  twelve. 
It  should  be  carried  well  above  the  roof,  and  in  the 
case  of  a  shingle  roof,  well  above  the  peak,  and  the 
flashing  around  the  chimney  should  be  of  copper 
or  other  metal,  securely  cemented  into  the  groove  or 
joint  in  the  brickwork  for  a  height  of  at  least  8 
inches  above  the  roof,  and  lap  over  the  flashing 
below,  which  should  extend  up  7£  inches  above  the 
roof,  but  the  lap  should  not  be  within  one  inch  of 
the  roof.  (NoTH. — This  to  prevent  ascent  of  water 
by  capillar}7  attraction.)  Where  shoulders  occur 
in  a  roof,  tending  to  lodge  snow,  crickets  or  pitch 
roofs  should  be  made  to  slide  snow  beyond  the 
chimney  and  prevent  its  piling  up  behind  it. 

The  chimneys  should  be  carried  up  from  the 
ground.  Above  the  roof  black  cement  mortar 
should  be  used,  and  all  smoke-flues  should  be 
surrounded  with  8  inches  of  good  brickwork,  and 


16  HOW   TO   BUILD   A   HOTEL. 

should  be  lined  on  the  inside  with  a  burnt-clay  or 
terra-cotta  flue-lining,  from  the  bottom  of  the  flue 
or  from  the  throat  of  each  flreplace  continuously 
to  the  extreme  height  of  the  flue.  The  ends  of 
such  lining- pipe  should  lit  close  together,  and  the 
pipe  should  be  built  in  as  the  flue  or  flues  are 
carried  up.  All  flues  for  fireplaces  should  be  of  a 
capacity  8^x12",  and  the  furnace  and  range-flues 
should  also  be  8"  x!2"  inside  capacity.  Vitrified 
drain-pipe  makes  good  flue- lining. 

All  flues  which  are  not  lined  should  have  struck 
joints  ;  no  parging  or  plastering  should  be  allowed 
on  the  inside  of  any  flue.  All  flues  should  be  lined, 
however. 

Fireplaces.  The  back  of  all  fireplaces  should  be 
inclined  toward  the  front,  beginning  six  courses  of 
brick  from  the  floor  of  the  hearth,  as  per  drawings 
(see  diagram  opposite),  to  secure  a  good  draft,  and 
the  fireplaces  should  be  lined  with  firebrick,  laid 
with  close-rubbed  joints  (or  with  cast-iron  fireplace- 
lining,  as  per  design  and  pattern  specified,  if  cast 
iron  is  preferred).  The  front  opening  of  all  fire- 
places should  be  supported  by  two  iron  bars  j-*x2*, 
9  inches  longer  than  the  width  of  the  opening,  and 
should  be  fitted  with  automatic  ash-dump  grate. 

It  will  also  be  observed  in  the  accompanying 
drawing  that  a  level  shelf  appears  in  the  flue  above 
the  fireplace  opening.  Descending  currents  of  air 
and  smoke  strike  this  shelf,  rebound,  and  return 
up  the  chimney  without  puffing  out  into  the  room. 
It  is  possible,  and  sometimes  necessary,  to  have  a 
cast-iron  plate  resting  on  this  shelf,  so  that  it  can 
be  drawn  forward  as  occasion  may  require,  to  con- 
tract the  throat  of  the  flue,  the  capacity  of  which, 
as  already  stated,  should  correspond  somewhat 
with  the  size  of  the  fireplace  opening,  to  the  extent 


or 


THE 


HOW  TO  BUILD  A  CHIMNEY. 


m 

m  mm 


-• 


SECTION  OF  CHIMNEY  SHOWING  TRIMMER   ARCH  UNDER  HEARTH, 

PROPER  CONSTRUCTION  OF  FIRE  PLACE,  FLUE  AND 

FLUE  LINING,  ASH  CHUTE,  ETC. 


17  FIREPLACES. 

of  having  an  area  about  one-tenth  or  one-eleventh 
of  the  latter. 

The  tops  of  all  chimneys  should  be  capped  with 
a  3  inch  capstone,  and  the  openings  in  the  capstone 
should  correspond  in  size  with  the  dimension  of 
each  flue,  so  that  no  shoulder  or  other  projection 
will  extend  over  the  opening. 

No  chimney  should  be  enlarged  where  it  passes 
the  roof  to  form  any  overhanging  or  projection  over 
the  roof.  , 

The  chimney  walls  from  the  cellar  to  first  floor 
may  be  carried  up  to  form  ash  pits,  securely 
inclosed  with  brickwork,  these  to  have  12' x  16" 
iron  doors,  with  frame,  in  cellar,  to  be  built  in 
during  construction. 

No  chimney  should  be  started  or  built  upon  any 
floor  or  beam  of  wood,  and  in  no  case  should  a 
chimney  be  corbeled  out  more  than  8  inches  from 
the  wall,  and  in  all  cases  the  corbeling  should 
consist  of  at  least  five  courses  of  brick.* 

All  hearths  should  be  constructed  with  trimmer 
arches  extending  20  inches  from  the  chimney-breast 
to  a  uskew  back"  or  wedge-shaped  piece  of  wood 
spiked  to  the  header  beam,  and  the  top  of  the  arch 
should  be  filled  with  2  inches  of  concrete  to  the 
top  of  finish  floor.  The  header-beam  should  rest 
securely  in  stirrup-irons  to  be  furnished  by  car- 
penter, and  there  should  be  no  wooden  lath  or  fur- 
ring on  the  chimney-breast. 

It  will  be  observed,  in  the  accompanying  illus- 
tration, (page  18),  that  the  trimmer- arch  abuts  upon 
a  wooden  skew  back  or  wedge  of  wood  securely 
spiked  to  the  header-beam.  The  skew  back  is  in 
turn  supported  by  a  fillet  of  wood  spiked  to  the 
beam.  This  is  necessary  to  secure  a  proper  arch. 

*  This  is  a  provision  of  the  New  York  building  law,  and  it 
ought  not  to  be  deviated  from  in  any  case. 


18 


HOW    TO   BUILD    A    HOTEL. 


If  the  footing  of  the  arch  comes  squarely  against  the 
wooden  header-beam  the  shrinkage  of  the  latter  will 
in  time  release  the  arch  arid  allow  it  to  fall.  It  is 
however,  unfortunately  the  practice  not  only  to 
omit  this  skew  back,  but  to  omit  the  trimmer  arch 


FIRE  PLACE  SHOWING  HEADER,  TRIMMER  AND  TAIL  BEAMS. 

altogether,  and  to  support  the  hearth  directly  upon 
the  floor-joists.  This  is  a  most  dangerous  construc- 
tion, and  a  fire  is  only  a  question  of  time.  It  seems 
incomprehensible  that  an  honest  builder  having  any 
decent  regard  for  safety  to  life  would  build  in  this 
way ;  and  yet  fires  from  this  cause  are  frequent.  In 
one  case  coming  under  my  observation  serious  dam- 
age was  done  to  a  handsome  dwelling,  where  the 
builder  had  not  only  constructed  the  hearth  in  this 


19  RANGE.        FIRE   DIVISIONS. 

way,  but  had  actually  swept  the  wooden  shavings 
from  the  floors  into  the  hollow  spaces  under  the 
hearth.  But  for  the  fact  that  the  fire  was  extin- 
guished in  time  to  discover  this  evidence  of  crim- 
inal indifference  to  human  life,  the  guilt  of  this 
builder,  who  was  no  better  than  a  would  be  mur- 
derer, would  never  have  been  known.  The  writer 
cannot  too  earnestly  urge  the  importance  of  watch- 
ing the  construction  of  chimneys,  hearths,  etc.  It 
involves  small  expense,  but  important  consequences. 
The  range  should  have  a  ventilating-flue  by  the 
side  of  the  smoke-flue  riot  less  than  8  inches  square, 
in  addition  to  the  smoke  flue,  which  should  be  not 
less  than  8*xl2*,  lined  with  tile. 

Range.  The  range  should  have  a  hearth  project- 
ing not  less  than  3  feet  in  front  of  the  same  and  of 
the  full  width  of  the  range,  of  best  quality  of  rubbed 
slate,  3  inches  thick  (or  stone  or  encaustic  tile  laid 
in  a  proper  manner). 

Fire  Divisions.  Where  a  frame  hotel  is  a  neces- 
sity, it  should  be  cut  up  into  sections  not  longer 
than  100  feet  each,  and  the  ends  should  be  of  brick, 
separated  if  possible  by  a  space  of  flf  ty  feet  or  more. 
A  fireproof  connecting  bridgeway  on  the  first  floor 
will  secure  the  convenience  of  one  structure.  The 
end  brick  or  stone  walls  should  be  carried  above 
the  roof  and  beyond  the  line  of  rear  and  front  walls, 
so  as  to  prove  a  sufficient  barrier  to  the  spread  of 
tire  from  one  division  or  section  to  another.  Iron 
shutters  provided  tothe  windows  in  the  ends  which 
expose  each  other  would  be  an  admirable  precau- 
tion, but  I  presume  would  be  regarded  as  an  expen- 
sive feature. 

Revolving  Doors.  A  revolving  fireproof  door, 
with  wire  glass  for  a  sash,  in  the  hall  opening 


20  HOW   TO    BUILD    A    HOTEL. 

through  walls  dividing  large  hotels  into  sections, 
would  be  an  admirable  precaution,  and  preferable 
to  an  iron  or  tin- covered  wood  door,  for  the  reason 
that  escaping  inmates  could  see  through  it  and  use 
it  without  leaving  it  open. 

Laundry.  The  laundry,  unless  in  a  thoroughly 
fireproof  room,  should,  in  all  cases,  be  outside  of 
the  building,  where  its  burning  would  not  expose 
the  hotel.  In  any  case,  the  dry-room  should  not 
have  any  woodwork  about  it.  The  usual  construc- 
tion, even  in  the  best  hotels,  is  a  network  of  steam 
pipes  on  the  floor,  above  which  the  clothes  are  hung, 
shoved  in  and  out  on  movable  racks.  Wood  con- 
tinuously subjected  to  heat  becomes  so  ignitible 
that  it  has  been  suspected  of  spontaneous  ignition. 
At  any  rate,  a  garment  falling  upon  the  steam  pipes 
below,  or  a  match  or  flame  touching  the  dry  wood- 
work, would  cause  immediate  combustion.  Cover- 
ing a  wooden  or  plastered  ceiling  above,  or  the  side 
walls,  with  sheet  iron  is  not  a  sufficient  protection, 
although  if  the  metal  were  kept  far  enough  away 
from  the  woodwork  to  have  an  air  space  behind  it, 
the  woodwork  would  probably  not  be  ignited.  Most 
people  make  the  mistake  of  nailing  metal  shields  to 
protect  woodwork  tightly  to  the  woodwork  itself. 
It  should  always  be  kept  away  from  wood,  as  iron 
is  a  conductor  of  heat,  and  air  is  not.  A  space  of 
even  half  an  inch  would  tend  to  safety.  Sheet  tin 
is  much  better  for  this  purpose  than  sheet  iron, 
because  of  its  reflecting  qualities. 

The  laundry  building  should  be  not  over  orie- 
story  high,  provided  with  a  monitor  skylight  for 
ventilation  and  lighting  purposes.  A  steam  jet  is 
an  admirable  fire-extinguishing  precaution  for  the 
dry-room,  and  fire  pails  filled  with  water  should  be 
liberally  provided. 


21  DINING   ROOM.        BATH    ROOM. 

Kitchen.  This  should  be  outside  of  the  main 
structure,  unless  thoroughly  fireproof.  Care  should 
be  taken  to  see  that  the  bake  oven  is  not  near  wood- 
work of  any  kind.  Instances  have  been  known  where 
wooden  posts  have  been  ignited  through  20  inches 
of  brickwork  surrounding  boilers  and  ovens.  The 
kitchen  should  be  of  liberal  size.  Any  experienced 
Qlief  will  emphasize  the  importance  of  this  sug- 
gestion. The  vegetable  bakery,  the  butcher  shop 
and  the  pot-cleaning  rooms  should  be  separate,  cut 
off  by  fireproof  doors  ("  Underwriters  "  tin-covered 
wood  pattern),  with  tin-covered  sills.  It  is  quite 
common  to  neglect  this  latter  precaution. 

Dining  Room.  This  should  have  a  high  ceiling, 
to  secure  ventilation  without  drafts,  with  windows 
in  the  clear  story.  The  best  arrangement  of  this 
kind  I  have  seen  was  that  of  the  Royal  Poinciana, 
at  Palm  Beach,  Florida.  Where  a  high  ceiling  can- 
not be  provided,  and  it  is  necessary  to  open  the 
lower  windows  to  secure  ventilation,  the  simple 
precaution  of  opening  them  from  the  top  about 
half  an  inch  all  around  the  room  would  prevent 
complaints  of  drafts  and  keep  the  air  of  the  room 
in  proper  condition.  When  one  person  complains 
of  the  heat  of  a  room,  the  average  waiter  will 
usually  pull  down  windows  for  a  foot  or  more, 
insuring  immediate  and  justifiable  complaints  from 
others.  If  the  windows  were  opened  before  meals 
slightly  from  the  top  they  would  not  be  noticed 
and  a  rational  adjustment  of  the  matter  would 
secure  exemption  from  complaint. 

Bath-Rooms.  These  need  not  be  large,  although 
they  are  more  comfortable  if  roomy.  The  bath- 
rooms of  the  New  Willard  Hotel,  at  Washington, 
are  5  feet  by  8  feet  2  inches.  A  marble  wainscot 
four  feet  high  is  an  admirable  feature.  The  floor 


22  HOW  TO   BUILD   A    HOTEL. 

being  finished  in  a  sort  of  concrete  with  marble 
drippings,  rubbed  to  a  smooth  hard  finish,  is  an 
economical  flooring  and  quite  as  good  as  one  of 
mosaic,  made  with  cement  and  square  marble  cubes. 
The  bath-tub  in  this  hotel  was  28  inches  wide  by  4 
feet  9  inches  long  and  21  inches  high  above  the 
floor,  including  the  claw  feet.  An  admirable  feature 
of  this  bath-room  was  a  small  round  stool,  13  inches 
in  diameter,  of  wood  stained  to  represent  cherry, 
and  Vl\  inches  high — very  convenient  for  dressing. 

The  smallest  bath  room  I  ever  saw  was  in  the 
Hotel  Cambridge,  New  York,  being  only  4  feet  7 
inches  wide  by  6  feet  1  inch  long,  as  per  plan  here- 
with. The  bath-tub  occupied  the  entire  length, 
with  the  toilet  and  wash  stand  opposite  each  other, 
the  door  opening  between  them.  This  small  bath- 
room, which  is  a  very  comfortable  one  notwithstand- 
ing its  size,  is  an  evidence  of  what  may  be  done  in 
hotels,  the  owners  of  which  claim  that  bath-rooms 
are  impracticable  for  want  of  space.  Bath  rooms 
have  grown  in  the  estimation  of  the  traveling  pub- 
lic to  be  such  necessities,  to  say  nothing  of  comfort, 
that  they  should  be  provided  in  all  cases  and  at  a 
reasonable  charge.  The  latest  As  tor  Hotel  projected 
in  New  York  has,  it  is  said,  four  hundred  bath- 
rooms to  six  hundred  bed-rooms. 

An  admirable  arrangement  of  bath-room  and 
closets  is  that  of  the  Waldorf-Astoria,  diagram 
herewith.  This  bath-room  and  the  arrangement  of 
the  New  WilJard,  with  closets  both  sides,  would 
commend  themselves  without  elaboration. 

Bath-rooms  should  be  provided  with  small  mir- 
rors, 22x18.  In  the  Royal  Poinciana  mirrors  of 
this  size  are  made  of  common  pine  painted  with 
enamel  white  paint,  with  a  small  shelf  and  towel 
rack  connected.  They  are  a  most  convenient  feature. 


DIAGRAM  OF  THE  CAMBRIDGE. 
NEW  YORK. 


THIRTY  THIRD  STREET 


WALDORF-ASTORIA, 

Fifth  Avenue,  .New  York. 
Fourth  Floor— Showing  rooms  and  arrangement  of  bath-rooms  and  closets. 


23  CLOSETS.        WINDOWS. 

An  important  feature  of  a  hotel  bath-room  which 
should  never  be  omitted  is  a  waterproof  floor,  of  con- 
crete, graded  so  that  in  case  the  bath-tub  overflows 
the  water  will  run  to  an  ordinary  pipe,  inch  and  a 
quarter  in  diameter,  passing  through  the  wall  to 
the  outside  of  the  building.  It  can  have  a  small 
check  or  clack  valve  opening  outwards,  hung  like  a 
hinge  at  the  exit  of  the  pipe  on  the  bath-room  side. 
This  would  keep  the  cold  air  from  coming  in  and 
exclude  insects,  and  would  admit  of  the  escape  of 
water,  without  injuring  ceilings  below.  An  elab- 
orately frescoed  ceiling  in  the  dining-room  of  the 
Waldorf-Astoria,  New  York,  was  ruined  in  this 
way,  and  I  have  seen  enough  cases  of  injury  to 
ceilings  of  hotels  from  this  cause  to  enforce  the 
wisdom  of  this  simple  and  inexpensive  precaution. 

There  should  be  a  number  of  hooks  in  the  bath- 
room, on  the  back  of  the  door  and  at  other  points, 
as  a  convenience  for  hanging  clothes,  towels,  etc. 
The  best  towel  rack  is  a  nickel-plated  rod. 

All  bath  and  toilet  rooms  should  have  outside 
windows. 

Closets.  These  should  be  liberal  in  size,  lighted 
if  possible  by  an  electric  light,  and  with  shelves 
five  feet  above  the  floor,  and  hooks  below  the 
shelves.  It  is  always  a  wise  economy  to  take 
enough  space  from  the  bed-rooms  to  give  liberal 
closets. 

Windows.  A  storm-proof  window,  especially  for 
northern  exposures,  is  made  by  having  the  sash 
grooved  to  fit  a  tongue  in  the  frame.  The  Waldorf- 
Astoria  windows  are  built  in  this  way.  In  some 
cases  the  tongue  is  on  the  sill  and  the  groove  in 
the  bottom  of  the  window  sash ;  but  a  tongue  and 
groove  around  the  entire  window  makes  a  noiseless 
and  storm-proof  window. 


24  HOW  TO   BUILD   A   HOTEL. 

Windows  should  have  low  sills  and  large  panes ; 
and  a  better  wall  space  for  arranging  furniture  is 
secured  by  putting  two  windows  close  together, 
instead  of  separating  them  by  a  pier. 

Avoid  French  windows,  i.  e.,  the  kind  that  open 
like  doors.  They  are  always  inconvenient. 

All  windows  should  be  provided  with  double  cur- 
tains or  shades,  one  of  green  and  the  other  of  brown 
holland,  and  they  should  always  be  provided  with 
outside  blinds.  If  fly  or  mosquito  screens  are 
needed  they  should  be  of  ucop  bronze,"  which  is 
rustless.  The  outside  blinds  should  be  of  one  piece, 
and  riot  double,  for  convenience  and  economy.  They 
should  be  kept  in  good  order  and  should  not  be 
stuck  together  with  paint.  Painters  are  usually 
careless  on  this  point,  resulting  in  the  slats  being- 
broken  in  attempts  to  open  them. 

Doors.  Double  doors  to  communications  between 
bed-rooms  are  especially  important,  particularly  in 
the  case  of  bath-rooms.  The  locks  should  not  be 
opposite  each  other  where  double  doors  are  pro- 
vided. The  panels  should  not  be  less  than  f  inch 
thick.  Double  doors  are  necessary  to  prevent  an- 
noyance from  loud  talking  and  to  exclude  the  odors 
of  tobacco  smoke. 

Electric  Wiring.  This  should  be  in  accordance 
with  the  rules  of  the  National  Board  of  Fire  Under- 
writers, which  may  be  procured  from  any  of  the 
local  insurance  men. 

Chandeliers  should  not  hang  within  6  feet  4 
inches  of  the  floor.  An  economical  lighting  of 
rooms  where  electricity  is  available  may  be  secured 
by  clusters  of  three  light  bulbs  in  the  middle  of  the 
ceiling.  This  saves  the  cost  of  a  chandelier  arid 
gives  a  better  diffused  light.  In  the  ladies'  writing 
room  of  the  Koyal  Poinciana,  at  Palm  Beach,  three 


25  SLOP   CLOSETS.        TRANSOMS. 

clusters  of  live  bulbs  each  light  the  room  admirably, 
and  it  is  a  large  one. 

Slop  Closets.  These  should  have  an  outer  win- 
dow, and  should  not  be  in  communication  with 
toilet  rooms.  In  some  cases  they  are  incorporated 
with  the  toilet  rooms,  with  partitions  not  running 
to  the  ceiling,  which  is  decidedly  objectionable. 
They  should  not  be  receptacles  for  waste  paper 
and  rubbish,  which  should,  in  all  cases,  be  carried 
immediately  out  of  the  building,  where  its  burning 
would  not  endanger  the  structure.  Slop  closets 
should  riot  be  under  staircases  or  near  elevators, 
for  the  reason  that  they  often  are  receptacles  for 
waste  paper,  rubbish,  oily  waste  and  other  lire 
breeders.  All  sweepings  are  dangerous.  A  lire 
occurred  under  the  stairway  in  a  hotel  in  which 
the  writer  was  staying  on  one  occasion  caused  by  a 
cigarette  thrown  carelessly  through  the  door,  which 
ignited  the  waste  paper  kept  in  a  barrel.  These 
closets  should  have  sash  doors,  with  ground  wire 
glass,  so  that  any  tire  starting  in  them  would  be 
detected  quickly;  and  they  should  be  kept  locked. 
They  should  be  of  large  and  convenient  size,  and 
they  should  contain  receptacles  for  soiled  sheets 
and  linen. 

Transoms.  These  should  be  one  foot  high  and 
of  dark  green  glass,  or  else  covered  with  green  hol- 
land,  to  keep  the  light  of  the  halls  from  illuminat- 
ing bed- rooms,  to  the  annoyance  of  guests. 

Music  Room,  Ball  Boom,  with  Stage,  &c.  This 
should  be  outside  the  main  building,  or  underneath 
rooms  allowed  for  bachelors  or  others  who  do  not 
object  to  noise.  In  the  case  of  the  Royal  Palm,  at 
Miami,  Florida,  this  room  is  outside  of  the  main 
structure.  Unless  the  music  room  is  separated  from 


26  HOW   TO  BUILD    A    HOTEL. 

the  main  structure,  there  should  be  rigid  rules  as  to 
playing  pianos  after  11  o'clock  p.  M. 

Piazzas.  These  usually  spoil  the  bed-rooms  near- 
est them,  because  of  the  noise  and  conversations 
carried  on  by  those  who  stay  up  late  at  night.  A 
splendid  arrangement  at  the  Hotel  Royal  Palm,  at 
Miami  (see  plan  herewith),  is  to  have  them  arranged 
about  twenty  feet  from  the  main  building,  with  a 
roof  protecting  them,  the  space  between  the  piazzas 
and  the  main  building,  containing  bed-rooms,  &c., 
being  utilized  for  shrubs,  palms,  etc.  Where  they 
are  next  to  dining-rooms  there  is  not  so  much  ob- 
jection, but  they  darken  a  dining-room,  and  even 
in  such  case  it  is  better  to  have  them  separate. 

One  end  of  a  piazza  should  be  reserved  where 
smoking  is  not  allowed. 

The  balusters  can  be  protected  from  having  the 
paint  worn  off  if  a  foot  rest  of  2  inch  galvanized 
iron  pipe  is  arranged  in  front  of  them.  Otherwise 
they  will  soon  become  disfigured  and  unsightly. 
This  pipe  is  a  feature  of  the  Royal  Poinciana  and 
Breakers  Hotels,  at  Palm  Beach. 

Steam  Risers.  These  if  incorporated  in  the  wall 
should  be  protected  with  non  conducting  material 
to  prevent  their  heating  rooms  through  which  they 
pass.  There  should  be  a  separate,  line  of  risers  for 
different  floors,  unless  they  are  thoroughly  insu- 
lated. 

Baggage  Room.  This  should  have  rubber  floor, 
unless  arranged  under  the  office,  where  the  noise  of 
moving  baggage  would  not  disturb  sleepers. 

CAUSES   OF   FIRES   IN   HOTELS, 

The  numerous  flres  in  hotels  are  caused,  in  many 
cases,  by  drunken  guests,  who  are  careless  with 
cigarettes,  cigars,  matches,  &c. 


27  CAUSES    OF   FIRES   IN    HOTELS. 

By  rubbish  in  cellars,  at  the  foot  of  elevator 
shafts,  under  piazzas  which  are  raised  from  the 
ground,  often  with  open  lattice-work,  or  under 
platforms  near  the  entrances,  with  open  finish,  into 
which  lighted  cigarettes  or  cigars  find  easy  lodg- 
ment, to  ignite  rubbish  below. 

By  matches  kept  in  drawers  of  bureaus,  ignited 
by  opening  and  closing  of  drawers  and  breaking 
out  into  fire  often  after  careless  persons  have  left 
the  room.  Only  "safety"  matches,  igniting  on 
specially  prepared  surfaces,  should  be  used  in 
hotels. 

Kitchen  Fires.  These  occur  from  bake  ovens, 
boiling  over  of  fat  used  for  frying  doughnuts,  &c., 
&c.,  or  from  piling  firewood  near  the  ovens  or 
ranges. 

Steam-pipes,  put  in  insecurely  and  not  arranged 
with  guards  to(keep  them  away  from  woodwork. 

Electric-light  Wiring.     Not    properly   installed. 

By  incendiaries,  who  find  many  opportunities  of 
setting  fire  to  rooms  for  purposes  of  robbery. 

By  carelessness  of  women  using  curling  irons. 

By  spontaneous  combustion  in  waste  closets. 

By  fires  starting  in  repair  rooms  where  old  furni- 
ture is  mended,  glued,  upholstered,  &c.  In  one  of 
the  largest  frame  hotels  in  California  I  found  the 
room  for  repairing  old  furniture  on  the  top  floor  of 
the  building  where  its  burning  would  involve  the 
whole  property. 

In  oil  and  lamp  rooms,  which  should  always  be 
outside  of  the  main  structure. 

Lace  and  muslin  curtains  blowing  into  fireplaces 
or  gaslights — a  frequent  cause  of  fires,  especially 
in  bed-rooms.  Curtains  are  liable  to  be  ignited  by 
careless  guests  using  matches.  As  I  write  a  fire 


28  HOW    TO   BUILD    A    HOTEL. 

occurs  in  the  Herald  Square  Hotel  in  New  York  in 
this  way. 

ORIGIN  OF  HOTEL,  FIRES. 

[From  the  Boston  Advertiser.] 

A  hotel  man  tells  the  following  in  regard  to  hotel  fires : 
"  Whenever  you  hear  of  a  hotel  fire  whose  origin  is  a  mystery, 
it  is  safe  to  attribute  it  to  the  cause  I  will  give.  The  best 
cooking  lard  is  the  fat  that  is  fried  out  of  the  fat  part  of  beef. 
In  restaurants  and  hotels  it  is  put  into  a  caldron  daring  the  day 
and  set  on  the  range  over  night.  A  light  tire  is  usually  kept 
in  the  range  to  save  the  trouble  of  starting  it  in  the  morning. 
During  the  night  it  may  happen  that  an  unusual  draught  is 
created  by  a  high  wind.  "The  fire  blazes  up,  the  caldron  begins 
to  boil  and  the  fat  is  in  the  flame.  Next  it  is  in  the  pot,  and 
then  follows  an  explosion,  scattering  the  blazing  grease  in 
every  direction.  Result — a  fire  of  mysterious  origin,  which 
destroys  the  building  and  all  of  its  contents.  I  have  been 
burned  out  seven  times,  and  in  every  instance  but  one  it  was 
due  to  this  cause." 


FIRE   APPLIANCES. 

Every  hotel  should  have  a  stand  pipe  not  less 
than  four  inches  in  diameter,  with  outlets  for  hose 
every  hundred  feet  and  if  possible  near  a  staircase, 
so  that  the  hose  can  be  used  until  the  last  moment. 
There  should  be  fifty  feet  of  hose  at  each  outlet, 
and  the  valve  should  be  a  lever  valve,  opening  by 
pulling  it  from  the  wall,  so  that  it  can  be  pulled 
only  in  one  direction.  Pew  persons  understand 
handling  a  wheel  valve,  especially  in  the  excite- 
ment attending  a  fire. 

Fire  pails,  painted  red,  with  round  bottoms, 
arranged  on  a  shelf  with  holes  to  fit  the  round 
bottom  (which  insures  their  not  being  carried  off 
to  use  for  other  purposes),  should  be  provided  at 
the  rate  of  six  filled  pails  for  every  50  running  feet 
of  hallway.  They  are  admirable  fire-extinguishing 
appliances,  superior  to  all  others,  because  anyone 
knows  how  to  use  them. 

Axes  and  crowbars  should  be  provided  every 
hundred  feet. 


29  FIRE    APPLIANCES. 

Watch-clocks,  insuring  careful  work  of  watch- 
men, with  stations  at  proper  points,  to  ensure 
thorough  supervision,  are  necessary;  and  large 
alarm  bells,  capable  of  being  rung  from  the  office 
as  well  as  each  floor,  should  be  arranged  for  waken- 


ing guests. 


Candles  and  candlesticks  should  be  provided  in 
all  rooms.  As  already  stated,  electric- lights  and 
gas  are  usually  extinguished  at  an  earl y  stage  of  a 
tire. 

As  already  suggested,  lamps  should  be  provided 
in  the  halls,  on  shelves  at  least  seven  feet  from  the 
floor,  with  red  shades,  located  near  staircases  and 
elevators. 

All  tire  appliances,  however,  no  matter  how  thor- 
ough, important  as  they  are,  are  of  little  value  as 
compared  with  the  prevention  of  fire.  In  no  other 
class  of  risks  can  it  be  more  truly  said  that  an 
ounce  of  prevention  is  worth  a  pound  of  cure. 
All  rooms  and  processes  which  tend  to  start  fires, 
therefore,  should  be  outside  of  the  building.  The 
kitchen,  the  bake  ovens,  the  laundry,  the  waste 
rooms,  the  paint  and  oil  rooms,  the  lamp  filling 
rooms,  furniture  repair  and  upholstering  rooms, 
carpenter  shop,  &c.,  &c.,  should  never  be  allowed 
where  their  ignition  would  endanger  the  main 
structure. 


P  CALIFORNTA    LIBRARY 


RETURN  TO  the  circulation  desk  of  any 
University  of  California  Library 

or  to  the 

NORTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 
Bldg.  400,  Richmond  Field  Station 
University  of  California 
Richmond,  CA  94804-4698 

ALL  BOOKS  MAY  BE  RECALLED  AFTER  7  DAYS 

•  2-month  loans  may  be  renewed  by  calling 
(510)642-6753 

•  1-year  loans  may  be  recharged  by  bringing 
books  to  NRLF 

•  Renewals  and  recharges  may  be  made 
4  days  prior  to  due  date 

DUE  AS  STAMPED  BELOW 


SENT  ON  ILL 


1  5  2 


BERKELEY 


DD20  6M  9-03 


